While vacationing at Dominican Republic vacation rentals, you will be spoiled for choices when it will come to dining options. Dominicans love their food and so will you, once you get to sample the delicious local food at the best restaurants in Santo Domingo. Dominicans usually eat late, around 9:30pm, and dining out is generally a fancy affair for them.
Local and International Cuisine
There are restaurants that serve Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Indian and Middle Eastern food in Santo Domingo, but do sample their local specialties too, categorized under nueva cocina Dominicana, or contemporary Dominican cuisine. Many restaurants serving this type of cuisine are found near Dominican Republic island rentals.
No food connoisseur leaves the island without tasting the fantastic goat meat stew, deep fried chicken and desserts like conconete which is a coconut and sugar biscuit, dulce de 3 leches or cake made with three kinds of milk (evaporated, condensed and whole), and flan. Other must-try local dishes are arroz con pollo or a dish of rice, beans and fried chicken, pescado al coco or fish cooked in coconut sauce, and mofango or green plantains mashed and cooked with shredded and garlic flavored chicken or pork.
Michelangelo
Try Michelangelo, one of the best restaurants in Santo Domingo. They serve a mean pasta and lasagna, but are best known for their amazing local cuisine. One of the specialties here is Chivo Guisado al vino, the famous goat stew mentioned earlier, cooked in a red wine sauce. The prices at Michelangelo are pocket-friendly too. The restaurant has a huge terrace where you can sit back with cocktails and a Dominican cigar and enjoy the lovely view.
Fogaraté
Fogaraté is another cool place to try out local dishes. The place has a casual ambience, the décor is colorful and the food is popular. A must-try at Fogaraté is sancocho, a chicken, meat and vegetable stew cooked with lots of spice.
El Conuco
One more Santo Domingo restaurant known for is mouth-watering local dishes is El Conuco. The restaurant does not expose you to just local food alone - you get a taste of the local culture as well. The ambiance is traditional Dominican, and the waiters dressed in local costumes may just invite you to dance with them. The décor brings to life a typical Dominican village, complete with woven blankets, hammocks, plants and more such rustic elements. Do try their house specialty la Bandera, which is beef cooked with fried plantains, rice and kidney beans. If you want to have some fun with really colorful food, order the 'Dominican Flag.' It is a platter of white rice, meat, beans, salad and fried bananas, arranged as per the colors of the flag.
Visit Vamoose.com to find a vacation rental in the Dominican Republic. You can sort by location, price, and amenities. All the listings are conveniently located near the eating hotspots in town, so get dressed and dig in. The local cuisine of the Dominican Republic will undoubtedly make your holiday extra special; after a lovely meal at one of these restaurants, you will love nothing more than returning to the comforts of your rental in Santo Domingo.